A MUSICAL LEGACY
The Alabama Music Hall of Fame honors the legacies of a number of the state’s top musicians. Inductees include W.C. Handy, Sam Phillips, Jimmie Rodgers, Rick Hall, Dinah Washington, Hank Williams and Tammy Wynette.
FAME Recording Studios launched “the Muscle Shoals sound” and continues to operate as a recording studio today. Guided tours are available Monday through Saturday.
A group of former FAME session musicians known as “The Swampers” established Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in 1969. Artists who recorded at the studio include The Rolling Stones, Cher, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bob Seger and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 1978, the studio moved to a larger facility, now called Cypress Moon Studios.
The W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum and Library includes the log cabin where the “Father of the Blues” was born in 1873 and a large collection of Handy’s personal papers, memorabilia and artifacts.
HISTORICAL SITES AND MUSEUMS
The Tennessee Valley Museum of Art in Tuscumbia is home to the permanent exhibition of the Martin Petroglyph, a 3,000-pound boulder that depicts human footprints and snakes carved by the prehistoric people of northwest Alabama, as well as other prehistoric artifacts.
Housed in three historic buildings, the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center serves as the headquarters for Florence Arts and Museums and hosts rotating art exhibits, community workshops, classes and other special events.
Located at the base of the Florence Mound, a ceremonial gathering space built by Native Americans nearly 1,700 years ago, the Florence Indian Mound & Museum is an educational center that hosts a variety of presentations and workshops, houses a native plant garden and features collaborations with Native American tribes and artisans.
Tom Hendrix built Te-lah-nay’s Wall, also known as the Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall or Tom’s Wall, to honor his Yuchi great-great-grandmother, who survived the Trail of Tears. It is the largest unmortared rock wall in the country and the largest memorial to a Native American woman.
Pope’s Tavern and Museum is a history center that focuses on early Alabama history, including exhibits on slavery, Civil War history and daily life in the nineteenth century. The site is also part of an ongoing public archaeological excavation.
Ivy Green in Tuscumbia is the birthplace and childhood home of Helen Keller. In June, thousands gather for the week-long Helen Keller Festival, and “The Miracle Worker” play is performed on the grounds each weekend from early June through mid-July.
Helen Keller and her teacher and companion Annie Sullivan used the Tuscumbia Railway Depot for their trips to and from the Perkins Institute in Boston. Today, the restored 1888 building houses rail memorabilia, and the nearby roadhouse serves as an event venue.
The LaGrange Historical Association maintains the grounds and buildings of LaGrange College Site Park, a living historic village in Leighton. LaGrange Cemetery, an antebellum-Civil War era cemetery, also is on the site and features notable landmarks, including the Abraham Ricks monument carved by an Italian sculptor and the grave of the “Petrified Lady.”
The Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House in Florence is the only structure in Alabama designed by the famous architect. Built in 1940, the house is an example of Wright’s Usonian design and includes many pieces of original furniture designed by Wright.
Just outside Tuscumbia, Belle Mont Mansion is an outstanding example of Jeffersonian-Palladian-style architecture and one of only five house museums owned by the Alabama Historical Commission. The mansion hosts events and exhibits throughout the year and has tours.
Located in the historic Tennessee River port of Waterloo, the Edith Newman Culver Memorial Museum features Native American and Civil War exhibits along with other local history.
In the 1920s, the Ritz Theatre in Sheffield was a silent movie house; today, thanks to a renovation by the Tennessee Valley Art Association, the Art Deco theater hosts concerts, plays and films and is available as a rental space.
PARKS AND OUTDOOR RECREATION
Joe Wheeler State Park, on Wheeler Lake, an impoundment of the Tennessee River, has a lot to offer, including a resort lodge, lakeside cottages and cabins, over 100 campsites, a championship 18-hole golf course and a full-service marina.
Just north of Florence, Shoal Creek Preserve has over 4.5 miles of trails that reward hikers with views of waterfalls, creeks and scenic bluffs.
Riverfront Park in Sheffield features a one-mile stretch of shoreline along the Tennessee River with boat ramps, fishing piers and docking facilities as well as a picnic area, gazebos and a playground.
Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve offers 25.7 miles of hiking trails through the rolling hills southwest of Tuscumbia and is a sanctuary for native plants and animals.
The Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard in Colbert County is said to be the only cemetery of its kind in the world. Over 300 coon dogs have been laid to rest in the peaceful sanctuary.
The rustic Seven Springs Lodge in Tuscumbia is located on over 20,000 acres of natural woodland and is a popular destination for horseback riding, cabin rentals and camping. Also on the property, the Rattlesnake Saloon is a popular restaurant and music venue located under a massive natural rock outcrop.
River Heritage Park, located adjacent to the Renaissance Tower, Alabama’s tallest tourist attraction, provides scenic views of the Tennessee River and Wilson Dam and has a 1.3-mile riverwalk trail, a playground and splashpad. A seasonal fountain with weekend light shows operates in the summer.
Attractions at Spring Park in downtown Tuscumbia include Coldwater Falls, a miniature train, carousel, splashpad and playground. A water show with choreographed lights and music takes place at dusk on weekends from mid-March through December.
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Colbert County features two championship 18-hole courses, the Fighting Joe and the Schoolmaster, with views of Wilson Lake and the Tennessee River.
This article appears in the October 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
